2015 Dodge Charger R/T Scat Pack First Test

The 485-HP Offer You Can't Refuse

The question is, in terms of pure numbers, can anything beat the 2015 Dodge Charger R/T Scat Pack? Let's review them: $40,990, 485 horsepower, 475 lb-ft of torque, 0-60 mph in 4.2 seconds, a quarter mile in 12.6 seconds at 113.8 mph. Dang dude, that's quite the deal. That's quite the bargain. A couple of caveats: One is that Dodge is touting the price as $39,995 MSRP, ignoring its own $995 destination charge. The second is that I might get up, go to a Dodge dealer, and buy one before I finish typing this review. I mean, $40K for 485 hp? Where do I sign up?

Let's talk about some other cars that make 485 or so ponies. The $55,995 Corvette Stingray comes pretty close with 455 hp, or you can pay for an optional exhaust and get 460 hp. The Lexus RC F starts at $63,325 and makes 467 hp, though only 389 lb-ft of torque. A Camaro Z/28 makes a bit more power (505 hp and 481 lb-ft of torque) but of course costs $75,000. We know how much BMW loves underrating its engines, so for the sake of this review I'm guessing the twin-turbo S55B30 I-6 actually makes 485 hp. Though of course the M3 starts life at $62,950.So you can't touch the Scat Pack when it comes to horsepower-per-dollar. What about in terms of performance? The other $40,000 performance cars that leap to mind are the Subaru STI Limited and the Volkswagen Golf R. They are close but not quite: The STI hits 60 mph in 4.6 seconds and runs the quarter in 13.1 seconds at 104.4 mph, and the Golf R gets to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds and through the quarter mile in 13.1 seconds at 104.9 mph. True, the big four-door loses to the much lighter pair in our figure-eight test, but not by much. The Subie and the VW both do it in 24.9 seconds, compared to the Scat Pack's 25.3.Of course there is one car that matches the performance of the 2015 Charger Scat Pack for less money. That would be the $39,890 2015 Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack. Which way to the Dodge dealer?